Five reasons why traditions and chocolate are important

My favorite thing about the holidays is simple – extra quality time with my family. Gifts are nice, sure, but time with my favorite people, well that’s priceless beyond compare. And you know what goes hand-in-hand with the holidays and family time? Food! I’m not afraid to use this weakness against my family members either. Yes, I am not ashamed to admit that I will use food as a lure. If you are fishing for some family time, food is the perfect bait.

Every Sunday evening in our house is family game, dinner and movie night. Yes, please note, food is a part of this. I honestly don’t think they would show if I removed food from the equation. Not only that, but this is the one night of the week that Mom breaks her “healthy” rules and permits unlimited carbs and sweets. It’s our cheat night. We generally alternate between homemade pizza and tacos. The rule set forth by my children – healthy substitutes are not permitted. One night I switched the taco meat from ground beef to ground chicken, thinking they wouldn’t notice. Busted! I think a new rule should be that the first person who complains gets put in charge of the next family dinner, but I also know that would simply mean take-out (which if they are buying, I would be okay with).

So, now you know. In order to spend time with my family, I have to bribe them with foods I don’t ordinarily provide, and I’m not ashamed. Actually I’m pretty happy about it and I came up with five reasons why:

We are making memories. Memories last forever. They make us feel good and we pass them on from generation to generation. Memories bond us together forever.

Something to look forward to. Life can be hard. We get lost in our daily work or school schedules. We need something to keep us happy and hopeful when the days get tedious.

Families become closer. Traditions keep us together and make us realize what is truly the most important in our lives. It’s easy to let life get in our way and let busy schedules come between us. Traditions bridge those gaps and increase family bonds.

Bridges a gap between generations. Sharing memories at the dinner table is a time for all ages to come together.

A sense of belonging. Our world is broken. We need family togetherness more than ever. We need to feel like we belong somewhere.

So, what does any of this have to do with chocolate you may ask? A lot! Chocolate has been a rich tradition in families for generations. Substitute chocolate into all 5 reasons I listed above and you have this:

1) Chocolate helps make memories and helps us feel good!

2) Chocolate gives us something to look forward to! It makes us happy!

3) Chocolate makes us closer (If I give you a chocolate bar, I bet you will like me more).

Anyone want to argue any of the above with me? If you don’t have traditions in your family yet, it’s never too late to start. Start tomorrow, this Sunday, or this Thanksgiving. You won’t regret it. Oh, and while you are at it, give ’em a little sweet treat you might not ordinarily provide. Sweeten those precious moments with some chocolate. 🙂